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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · pitcher · march · leaves · stock · game · shower · temple

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. game — a match
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — rain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — goods
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com